


Fun

by JayceCarter



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Lies, Shenanigans And Thievery, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 10:54:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14616909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayceCarter/pseuds/JayceCarter
Summary: Arthur meets a recruit on the Prydwen, but she isn't what she seems to be. Maybe having a bit of fun is exactly what Arthur needs in his life, and it seems Nora Jacobs is the exact woman to show him how.





	Fun

**Author's Note:**

> I have a few longer one-shots like this I'm editing and putting up since they've been collecting virtual dust on my computer for a while.

Arthur frowned at the initiate who stood outside the rec area. He didn't recognize her.

Not that it was unusual. So many recruits came through since arriving in the Commonwealth, he never had time to learn their names. Many died or left before he’d have a chance, anyway.

"Initiate?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, Elder?"

"I don't recognize you."

She answered and stuck her hand out. "Nora Jacobs."

"I don't recall seeing your name listed on any paperwork, and all Initiate to Knight requests go through me. Who was your sponsor?"

"Paladin Danse. I joined up in Cambridge, and he pointed us this way."

He did remember Danse sending reports about a recruit, but nothing else for weeks. Then again, reports were hard to come by and slow. "I recall something about a recruit."

“Danse wanted to come, but someone was modifying armor, and he just can't miss that. Told me to go ahead, and he should be here in a day or two."

His lips pressed together, but he accepted it. No one would have gotten onto the Prydwen without passing a great deal of security.

In all their years of operation, they'd not suffered a single security breach.

"So, what is this you're doing?"

"Checking around, grabbing a bunk, you know, the normal."

He narrowed his eyes. "Did you check in with Kells, yet?"

"I was. . . just on my way there?"

The lie was loud and clear.

Arthur turned, arm out. "I'll escort you there, now."

She flashed a charming smile that said she usually got her way. "I can find my way."

"I'm sure you can, but I want to ensure you get there. Today."

She frowned. "Huh. Normally that works. Well, okay, let's go, I guess."

Arthur shook his head and escorted her to Kells, leaving her to him.

 

#

 

Hours later, well after everyone should have been asleep, Arthur paced the ship.

He enjoyed those hours, when the ship was quiet, when he was able to think in the peace.

At least, it was peaceful until he turned a corner to find the initiate from earlier inside Proctor Teagan's cage. Her fingers stroked over the rifle on the wall.

"Jacobs?"

She twisted, showing no sign of surprise. Instead, she flashed him another charming smile. "Up late?"

"I could ask the same of you. Why are you in Proctor Teagan's locked storeroom?"

She frowned, gaze moving over to the door. "Locked? It was open. Am I not supposed to be in here?"

Arthur stepped into the small room. "No, you are not. Teagan isn't known for being irresponsible for our supplies. I find it hard to believe he'd leave it open."

"Well, I’m not sure what to tell you. I'm sure he didn't mean to. Really, I don't want to get anyone in trouble."

He lifted his hand to stop her. "Proctor Teagan has been with us a long time. Don't worry; it's not as if he'll get fifty lashes for this. Come on out, and we will lock it behind us, and I'll discuss this with him tomorrow."

She nodded, then stepped out of the small enclosed space. "I had no idea I wasn't allowed in there. The weapons just all looked so impressive."

"Most people like weapons only so much as they keep them alive."

She shrugged, hands shoved into the pockets of her jumpsuit. "My dad liked guns. He was military, and he collected them. These are nice, but I'd been hoping to find something prewar, you know? Something not held together by duct tape."

The girl interested him in a way he wasn't entirely comfortable with. When was the last time he'd been tempted by anyone under his command? Normally, he'd steal away for a short amount of time to a town, find a bar and a willing local. He'd even been known to pay for it to keep things simple. Then everyone walked away happy.

Getting involved with people beneath his charge was tricky, at best.

Still, even as he considered all the reasons it was a bad idea, his mouth opened. "I have a small collection of weapons if you were interested."

“Unusual one?”

He nodded. “Quite. I’ve spent years collecting them.”

She smiled and slid her arm through his as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Sounds good."

As he walked her toward his cabin, he told himself this was just to show her his weapons. Just because she was in his quarters, didn't mean they had to have sex. This was not inappropriate at all. Just a man and a woman going to look at guns.

He held in the groan at what a lie that was.

 

#

 

Nora had undone her jumpsuit, complaining of the heat, and tied the arms around her waist. It left the jumpsuit covering her lower half while leaving her in a far-too-thin tank top on the top half.

Not that he could blame her for the heat. It took soldiers a while to get used to the stifling air of the Prydwen. While they were higher up, the heavy metal heated up, and all the bodies meant it was always warm.

Also, the way the white fabric hugged her? He found himself reluctant to voice any complaints that might take away from the sight. She didn't appear to have worn any sort of binding around her breasts, the cotton of her top allowing her a good view of her nipples. Not that she seemed to notice, not with how she moved around his quarters as if she wasn't showing him damn near everything.

So Arthur tried to keep things professional. He cleared his throat and pointed at the next gun hung upon his wall. "This one isn't special for the type of gun, just a simple prewar assault rifle, but it is the gun my ancestor, Roger Maxson, used when he exited the Mariposa Base and formed the Brotherhood of Steel."

Nora crept forward, fingers running over the weapon with the same reverence she'd had in Proctor Teagan's supplies. "Wow. Guess that's a piece of history, isn't it?"

"Not many recruits would understand the significance of such a piece."

She shrugged, the action drawing his attention to her chest again. "I like special things. Historical, art, anything really. What I like are unique things. The world has always had a million copies for every special thing. A million mass-produced forgeries trying to fool people. I have an eye for the one in a million, for those things worth cherishing, worth owning." She froze, eyebrows inching toward each other before she pulled her hand back.

"And why do you want to own the special pieces? If a copy is so close, why care about an original?"

She turned toward him, face having lost that playful edge as if she was really thinking about it. Finally, she shrugged. "I didn't have much growing up. I went to a museum once, wanted to get some culture, I guess. I wanted to see the paintings, but one of the guards shooed me out of the place. He said the closest I'd ever get to those works of art were the copies in the gift shop. I guess it made me want to prove him wrong."

"Museum? Gift shop? Where are you from?"

Her smile came back, the one that drew him in. "A long ways away."

Her words didn't register as she brought her shoulders back, the action causing the already tight fabric of her shirt to pull against her chest.

"It's okay," she whispered.

He jerked his gaze up. "What?"

"It's okay. I’ve seen the way you're looking at me, and I'm interested, too."

He folded his hands behind him to keep still, to keep from reaching out for her. "That would not be appropriate. Relationships between an elder and a subordinate would be fraught with potential abuses of power. I can't."

"So, you weren't looking at me?" The subtle hurt on her face stung.

"Yes, I was. You are very attractive. I'm sure you're aware of that fact. I just don't have the luxury to act on such feelings. Perhaps it would be best if you left."

She took a lip between her teeth. "Could I stay? I'm not used to being away from my family, and this ship is so big and noisy." She wrung her hands, the joints looking delicate.

A soft sigh, and he nodded. "For tonight only. And I was serious; there will be nothing inappropriate. This will be platonic, professional sharing of a bed. Nothing more."

She shimmed her jumpsuit the rest of the way off, revealing her long legs, leaving her in the tank top and a pair of white underwear. The look he got when she crawled into the bed, the way it flashed him her ass, it had him sucking in a breath.

Right. . . platonic.

 

#

 

Arthur couldn't sleep.

Each time Nora would roll over, her body shifting and bumping his, his cock would take notice. It seemed to have ideas of its own, all of which included ways to get inside of the woman beside him.

She'd kicked off the blanket, meaning that even in the dim lights of the room he could see the curve of her hip.

It would be so easy. She'd been receptive, and he'd bet she still was. He could roll over, pull that leg of hers over his hip, and slide into her. He wanted to see that grin of hers while he took her, wanted to hear the breathy little moans she'd make.

Then he reminded himself for the hundredth time that night he couldn't have her. Even if he'd never take advantage on purpose, it was impossible to separate who he was as Elder from who he was as Arthur. There was no way to avoid even the appearance of favoritism, to keep her from feeling as if she needed to please him for her position.

Not to mention, he'd created such rules for that very reason. If he indulged in such fraternization, what would happen if someone with fewer morals did the same by following his example?

No.

He took a deep breath and tried to ignore her.

At least, he tried until she rolled toward him, throwing a leg over his lap. Her breathing was steady, her eyes closed. Asleep?

It didn't matter much to his body as her thigh rubbed against the erection he'd been trying to ignore all night.

He couldn't hope to hold in the deep groan at that slight contact, as the firm muscles that had entranced him all night stroked against him.

For a split second, he considered not stopping her. Despite his responsibility, his position, his lineage, he was still a young man. It would not take much of this for him to come, to use her sleeping body to indulge in some relief.

As soon as the idea came together, he shoved it away. He was not some pervert prowling on defenseless women. He was Elder Arthur Maxson, and he held himself to a much higher standard than that.

Arthur took her knee and drew it off him. She didn't wake, rolling again to curl against the pillow.

He dragged himself from the bed, careful to not wake her. He took the pillow from his side of the bed and set it on the floor, along with an extra blanket from the closet. He'd had worse nights before, slept in worse places than a blanket on a safe floor.

And the floor was safer, for both of them.

 

#

 

Arthur woke, back tight and neck stiff. He sat up, groggy, hands trying to clear the gunk from his eyes.

So, perhaps it had been a rather long time since he'd last slept anywhere but his bed aboard the Prydwen.

A knocking on his door had him pushing to his feet.

The empty bed said Nora must have snuck out before he woke up. Not a surprise. Perhaps she was embarrassed by spending the night in his bed. Or, perhaps, she wished to avoid even the look of impropriety. He hardly blamed her for that. 

He opened the door, still clad in only the sweatpants he slept in. Kells stood at the doorway, face in the same stern lines he always wore.

"Yes?" Arthur ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it from his face.

"We've had a security breach, Elder."

"What sort of breach?" Arthur moved back into the room, grabbing his jumpsuit to dress for the day.

Kells turned his back as he spoke. "It's been brought to my attention that a woman snuck aboard yesterday."

Arthur stumbled as he put his leg into the jumpsuit. He couldn't mean. . .

"What woman?"

"The woman you brought to me. She caught a ride up from the airport, dressed in our uniform, claiming Paladin Danse had recruited her."

Arthur slid the arms of the outfit on, then zipped it up. "She claimed her name was Nora Jacobs. I want immediate checks of all potentially vulnerable areas. Prydwen and Airport. We need a complete comb through. Also, have Teagan check his inventory; I caught her in there last night."

He turned, hand reaching out of instinct for his coat which he always hung on the door.

Only to find it missing.

Arthur rubbed his fingers against his eyelids from the sudden headache. "Well, I know one thing she stole; my coat."

 

#

 

Arthur was going to ring her neck.

Nora stood on the bar of The Third Rail, his coat draped over her. She looked like a child playing dress up in her parent's clothing.

"And, as new Elder Fancy-Coat, I declare that all drinks are now free!" She lifted the beer in her hand.

"Nice try, Sunshine." A ghoul standing by the bar laugh and smacked her ass. "No free drinks, assholes."

Nora's gaze moved across the bar, lips cracking into a grin when they landed on Arthur.

And the worst part? His traitorous cock had hardened at that grin, at the mischief in it. Somehow, being outmaneuvered by that lying, deceitful slip of a girl had turned him on more than he wanted to admit to.

Arthur wasn't a man used to people outthinking him, to them outsmarting him.

She lifted her hand and crooked a finger to beckon him over. "You found me. I'm impressed."

"You did give me your real name."

"Sure, but what do real names mean in this world? I used to use pseudonyms, but I don’t see the point anymore." She crouched down in front of him, the action causing the coat to billow around her. "Not like there's a most wanted list anymore.; Actually, I miss the most wanted list. Not that my name was ever on it, or my face, but I still liked seeing my work on it."

"So this wasn't a one-time thing?"

"Nothing is ever a one-time thing."

He reached up and wrapped his fingers around the lapel of the coat. "And why would you take this? I had my ship combed, thoroughly, and nothing else was taken. Nothing sabotaged. You could have been shot on sight or thrown in a cell for years, and yet you took that risk to steal my coat? Why?"

She cocked up an eyebrow. "A friendly wager with my buddy. We wanted to see who could steal the best items."

"And who won?"

"That's still in contention."

Another man walked up, a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. "It isn't in contention. You're just a cheat."

Nora gasped, her hand going to her chest in mock offense. "Robert J. MacCready, how dare you say such things. I am a liar, and a thief, and a fair poker player-"

"That shows the liar part,” the ghoul chimed in. “Last time you played poker you walked home naked."

Nora continued as if the ghoul hadn't interrupted her. "But I am not a cheat. How do I know you got those sunglasses off a courser? And even if you did, coat beats glasses every time."

The man, MacCready according to Nora, put a pair of sunglasses on, a cocky smile that matched Nora's on his lips. "Don't be jealous that I won, boss. Thievery is a game for the young."

Arthur yanked softly on the coat, enough to draw her attention but not enough to cause her to fall. "My coat, please."

"Finder's keeper, Elder."

Arthur had had enough. He hoisted her forward, slinging her over his shoulder.

"Hold up there, brother." The ghoul set his hand on a knife on his hip. "No one drags my favorite little vaultie out of here."

MacCready already his rifle out as well, steady hands telling him all he needed to know about the young man’s skill and comfort with the weapon.

And suddenly, Arthur wished he hadn't left his soldiers behind with the vertibird outside the city walls.

Nora dug her elbow into his back too hard to be an accident. "It's okay, boys. This here is the owner of this specific coat."

"Wait? You're telling me you were caught? That means you lose automatically."

The ghoul pulled the blade from his belt and rolled it over his knuckles. "You sure you're good, sister? Hate to see something unsavory happen here."

"You love unsavory, Hancock. And trust me, I can handle this kid."

Even though he couldn't see it, he could damned well hear the smirk in her voice.

Arthur turned toward the stairs, but MacCready stood in his way.

"I better see her in this same condition tomorrow, Brotherhood."

Her voice floated from behind him. "If I'm not at least a little rumpled come morning, I'm going to be pissed."

Before Arthur could respond, MacCready laughed, putting his rifle over his shoulder. "Maybe I should be offering him protection instead, huh?"

Arthur shoved past the kid, carrying Nora up the stairs.

 

#

 

Nora looked infuriatingly good in his coat. Maybe it was some part of his ego that liked seeing her in that.

The coat was silly, perhaps, but it was a symbol of his status, his power, his position. Sarah Lyons had given it to him when he was twelve, when he'd admitted to her he didn't think he'd ever live up to his name.

She'd found it and placed it on his shoulders before making him look in a mirror _. 'This is a man they'll respect, they'll follow. This is a Maxson.'_

He'd frowned at the way it had bagged on him _. 'It doesn't even fit.'_

She'd stood just behind him, him already as tall as she was _. 'Maybe not yet, but you'll grow into it.'_

So, the coat meant something to him. It was a promise to become the man she'd seen, the man she'd sworn he could be.

Nora stood in the hotel room, the one she'd already had rented for her and steered him toward.

"Why the coat? Really, why that?"

She shrugged and hopped onto the table, the metal groaning. She wasn't heavy, but furniture didn’t tend to last well. "I thought about taking the gun Roger Maxson used. That would have won me the bet for sure."

"So why didn't you?"

"Because you cared about it. You appreciated what it meant. Normally I steal shit from people who keep it as a status symbol, as something to show off. They don't care about it. When you talked about that gun." She let her legs swing as he walked closer. "Well, you cared about it."

He stopped just in front of her, her knees brushing his hips. "That's it?"

"Well, maybe you charmed me a bit with the whole noble, we can't have sex thing."

He bumped her knees, so she spread her thighs around him. "So, the rolling over and throwing your leg on me, that was part of your plan?"

"Nope. That was just for fun. I was curious what we were working with."

"And?"

"And I did let you take me to my hotel room, didn't I?" She set her fingers on the neckline of his jumpsuit, toying with the fasten there. "Something did just occur to me."

"And what is that?"

Her lips tilted up on one side. "Well, you don't fuck those under your command, but as it turns out, I'm not actually Brotherhood."

Arthur released a soft laugh at that. "Well, finally something you say that's true." He pulled her forward, his lips going to hers in the kiss he'd wanted, the kiss he'd denied himself.

And denied her, if her response said anything. Her fingers released the clasp at his throat, then pulled the zipper down. She'd already seen his chest, his shoulders, since he'd slept in sweatpants the night before. Still, she grasped his shoulders, the muscles of his chest, thumbs pressing into the valleys between them. Her teeth nipped his lower lip, her thighs keeping him close.

He yanked at her pants, the button popping off.

"Guess we're done with the gentleman thing, huh?"

He pulled at the waistline of her pants, moving back to get them off. "The last time I tried it, you stole from me."

"I don't see you trying too hard to get your coat back. I think you like me in it."

He used a hand on the center of her chest to shove her backward, to spread her out before him. It left the coat wrapped around her, making her look like a gift just for him.

Arthur hooked his fingers into her underwear and pulled, tearing the fabric.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Was that necessary?"

"They were in my way." He grasped her legs behind her knees and bent her legs, spreading them so she was open for him.

"Thanks, but I've already had my yearly gyno check-up-"

He shut her up when he leaned in and swiped his tongue up her slit, dipping into her cunt before rubbing against her clit.

Her hips shot up in a wild buck at the rough touch, but he used his weight and grip to keep her still. He didn't lick her long, too anxious to feel her wrapped around him.

He pulled back, taking a moment to stare at how lovely she looked all spread out and ready for him. The light from the single bulb caught on the wetness of her cunt.

He ran his thumb up her folds, then pushed into her to test tightness.

"Come on, Arthur. You think you could hurry this up?" The waver in her voice admitted she wasn’t as steady as her words. She lifted her hips a fraction toward his thumb, then whined when he pulled this thumb from her, when he worked his jumpsuit down to his thighs, freeing his cock.

He pressed one hand to her knee, using it to hike that leg up as he grasped his cock with the other. "Tell me yes."

Her back arched as he rubbed his cock against her.

"You have to tell me you want this. I wouldn't have sex with you if you were one of my soldiers, and I won't unless you're clear that you want this."

She hooked a leg around him, her heel digging into the middle of his back. "Yes, I want you. Can we get to it now?"

"Even though I'm quite sure you don't deserve it, yeah, we can." He shifted his hips forward, pressing into her inch by inch.

The sounds that poured from her lips were as exciting as the squeeze of her body around his cock. She twisted beneath him, but with his size and position above her, she couldn't get any leverage.

He didn't lean down, didn't try to claim her lips. Instead, he kept his eyes pinned between her legs, wanting to watch as he slid into her.

Her cunt stretched around him, and when he pulled back, her wetness stuck to him.

He'd never find a better sight than her writhing on his cock, desperate for more, body begging for him to speed up, to stop teasing.

And because he couldn't help it, because he needed it, he yanked her up, grasped her beneath her ass, and lifted her.

Besides, the table wouldn't hold them both.

He twisted them, letting her body hit the wall to allow him to thrust, to leverage a good thrust. He buried his face against her neck as he fucked her.

Her pulse thundered beneath his lips, hard and frantic. To think that a woman who so easily outsmarted him, who had lied right to his face without the slightest sign of dishonesty would come apart so well beneath his touch did more than a little good to his ego.

The snug fit of her cunt made him groan, made him want to come right them. While the rates of pregnancy were rare, he still always pulled out. Not perfect, but good enough to help avoid the risk of leaving behind children with women he'd never see again. No, when he had children, they'd be with a woman he cared about, raised by him and her. He'd suffered a life without his parents. He'd wish that on no child.

He pulled out of her and set her feet on the floor, then yanked the coat off and tossed it to the dresser.

A drop of sweat ran down from her scalp line and over her throat. "What-"

He pulled her over to the bed, then pushed her forward to her hands and knees on the mattress. A shove at her legs got her to spread her knees apart. He stroked his fingers down her slit until he could palm her cunt, a strangely possessive gesture that he couldn’t figure out why he liked so damned much.

When she shifted, impatient as ever, he pressed his free hand to her back to still her and pressed two fingers of his other hand into her. He rotated his wrist, angling his fingers as he chased every lovely sound coming from her throat. Each gasp, each moan, he sought more of them. It wasn't long before he had her on that edge, when he leaned down to press kisses to the line of her back, along the ridges of her spine as she twisted.

He didn't make her beg, didn't edge her along that line of release, and when she came, she moaned his name.

Before she could recover, he grasped his cock and fed it into her. She pulsed around him as each inch caused her body to rebel, to tighten down again. Her hands flexed against the blanket, grasping for something to hold onto.

Arthur leaned over her once he'd filled her and placed a hand over hers, lacing his fingers through hers.

She shuddered but relaxed beneath him, giving into him.

A smile tugged at his lips at the sight, her worn out, oversensitive, and damned near submissive beneath him. Perfect.

He eased her down to lie flat on the bed beneath him, then ground into her. He didn't pull out far as he fucked her, not wanting to lose any of the sensation, not for any amount of time.

Her head twisted, not enough for a real kiss, but enough for him to offer a soft one to the corner of her lips.

Funny, he'd come here expecting angry sex. He'd expected them to leave bruised and worn out. This softness? This wasn't what he'd come for, and yet he couldn't find himself sorry for it, either.

He pulled out when he came, despite the way instinct time him to stay put. After they cleaned up, before they'd caught their breath or gotten their energy back, they laid on the bed, feet tangled together, both staring at the ceiling.

"So, are you still going to try and throw me in a cell?" Her lips tilted up as she asked.

"I should. You're a menace."

"I'm not so bad." Her gaze moved over to the coat he'd stripped off her and tossed on the dresser. "I mean, you even got your coat back."

He reached an arm back to set beneath his head. "Yes, I suppose I did." After a moment, he said something he knew was a mistake. "You know, you could join the Brotherhood."

"Right, because I'm totally Brotherhood material."

"I’m serious. While your methods may not be traditional, and I can't say I agree with them, results matter more to me. You could be useful, do something more than just steal things for kicks."

He offered because he had to. Both because she could use purpose, and because his mission came first. With what she could do, she’d make a great asset. Still, it would put an end to anything between them.

She sighed, a surprisingly sad sound. "Trust me, I've got plenty of other things going on. This wasn't about something for kicks; it was about. . . " She shook her head. "Never mind."

"No. Explain it. What was it about then, really? What was worth the risk you took? Clearly it was never about the worth of the item."

Nora said nothing for a moment, quiet like she had to consider the answer. "I wanted to do something fun. Something stupid. Something foolish and unwise and just for the hell of it. I have so many things I have to do, that I wanted something just for me. I'd planned to take something from Teagan's supply, but then I met you."

"And you found bigger game?"

"Not exactly. I took something I knew you'd find me to get back."

"So, you know we'd end up here?"

She shrugged, the action causing her chest to rise and fall and pull his attention back to it. "I might have hoped. Stealing things is fun, but people trying to get them back is even more fun. You? You were a person I wanted to play that game with, and I knew you wouldn’t just let it go."

The answer had him chuckling. "And how do you like how this game is going?"

She rolled over to straddle his lap. "So far? It's more fun than I've had in two hundred years."

 

#

 

Arthur woke before the sun rose. He didn't need to look outside to see the darkness to know. He'd risen early all his life.

The empty bed didn't surprise him, though he couldn't help an automatic pat down to ensure she'd taken nothing.

His coat still rested on the dresser, and he found himself disappointed in her absence.

Sure, they had no future. It didn't mean he couldn't mourn the lack thereof. Fun wasn't something he'd had much of in his life. Fun was for people who didn't have a legacy, a destiny, a purpose.

That had been what she'd been, though. Fun. Unexpected fun just for the hell of it. Not because he had to, or because it drew him closer to his purpose. Fun just because he’d wanted it.

He dressed and left the hotel room. At the front desk, the woman claimed he needed to pay for the room. It seemed Nora was still causing him trouble.

And yet, even that had him smiling.

Of course, she'd skip out on the room bill. She created chaos, and his life was made of such order, he found the chaos refreshing.

As he walked out of the gates and toward the small clearing where the vertibird was stationed with his guards, he wondered if he'd see her again. She wouldn't join the Brotherhood, and a part of him was grateful. Not only would it mean they couldn't pursue whatever it was they had, but he'd be constantly punishing her for her behavior. He wanted to be charmed by her oddness, not have to try and remove it.

He turned the last corner to find the guards frantic.

Had there been an attack?

"Elder." One stopped just in front of him, dressed in a jumpsuit and no armor.

"What's happened?"

The soldier turned his head, eyebrows knitted together. "It was right there, Elder. I don't know what happened. No one could have grabbed it that fast."

"Grabbed what? Out with it."

The soldier rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. "Someone stole the vertibird, Elder."

Arthur couldn't even find it in himself to be angry. He laughed, shaking his head. So, it seemed Nora wasn’t quite finished with their game, either.

For a woman like Nora, a stolen vertibird was a request for a second date, and Arthur damn well planned to accept the invitation.


End file.
